F-Zero X
F-Zero X is the third released installment in the F-Zero series and the first released video game in the franchise to feature 3D graphics. The game has a steep learning curve and its gameplay experience is similar to that of the original F-Zero title. However, the title does introduce a "death race" mode, a random track generator called the "X Cup", and a multiplayer mode which the previous F-Zero title lacked. In the death race, the player's objective is to annihilate the 29 other racers as speedily as possible, while the X-Cup "creates" a different set of tracks each time played. Critics generally praised F-Zero X for its fast gameplay, abundance of courses and vehicles, track design, and maintaining a high framerate. However, the game has been widely criticized for its lack of graphical detail. In 2010, the game was included as one of the titles in the book 1001 Games You Must Play Before You Die. It's predecessor is F-Zero for the SNES and it's successor is F-Zero GX for the GameCube. Gameplay F-Zero X is a futuristic racing video game where thirty pilots race on circuits inside plasma-powered hover-vehicles in an intergalactic Grand Prix at speeds that can reach 1500 km/h. Taking place after the original tournament was discontinued for several years due to the extreme danger of the sport, F-Zero X begins after the Grand Prix is brought back with the rules and regulations revised under the same name as the video game. The game introduces 26 new vehicles, and brings back the four from the original F-Zero game. Each has its own characteristics and performance abilities and before a race, the player is able to adjust a vehicle's balance between maximum acceleration and maximum top speed. The game can be used with a Rumble Pak, which allows for force feedback. Race Modes F-Zero X has five different modes of gameplay: Grand Prix, Practice, Time Trial, Death Race and Vs. Battle. In the Grand Prix mode, the player chooses a cup and races against twenty-nine opponents through each track in that cup. Players get a certain number of points for finishing a track depending on where they placed, and the winner of the circuit is the character who receives the most total points. There are four difficulty levels, with three available at the start: Novice, Standard, Expert, and Master. The higher the difficulty level, the tougher the opponents and less opportunities the player gets to retry. However, there is a Practice mode which allows the player to practice any track with 29 opponents. Time Attack lets the player choose a track and complete it in the shortest time possible. Racing against a staff ghost or transparent re-enactments of the player's best three-lap performances is possible. In Death Race, the player objective is to annihilate the 29 other racers as speedily as possible on the only course, which is a perpetual straightaway. There is no multiple difficulty levels to choose from, nor is there a limit to the number of laps but the boost can be used right away. Vs. Battle is the multiplayer mode where two to four players can play simultaneously with or without handicap. Those not in use by players can be operated by the computer. If a person ends up retiring before the other players, that person can enter the "VS Slot". A slot machine will appear and depending on what three identical pictures the player manage to match will adversely affect the competitors. Characters Circuits Reception Overall, critical reception of F-Zero X was positive; the game has an aggregate average of 86.93% based on 15 reviews at Game Rankings, and a metascore of 85 at Metacritic. Critics generally praised F-Zero X for its fast gameplay, abundance of courses and vehicles, keeping a high framerate with up to thirty racers on screen at the same time, and track design. Trivia Rainbow Road in the Joker Cup is the same one from Mario Kart 64. Racer James McCloud is in reference to a character in Nintendo's StarFox series. GameSpot has said that F-Zero X is the first game to run at 60 fps.Link title